IEI's Model Public Policy Process

IEI’s public policy process relies heavily on the outcomes of authentic debate among diverse groups of stakeholders.  There are five main vehicles through which IEI engages such stakeholders: leadership retreats, working groups, the annual Emerging Issues Forum, community forums and business committees. 

• Leadership Retreats | In the spring prior to the next year’s annual Emerging Issues Forum, IEI convenes a select group of experts in a particular issue area to determine the salient challenges confronting North Carolina.  This event allows IEI to organize its program of work in a way that is consistent with and complementary to the important conversations already taking place elsewhere. 



• Working Groups | In the fall prior to the annual Emerging Issues Forum, IEI convenes a series of Working Groups to tackle specific elements of the program, elements defined by the results of the Leadership Retreat, by extensive research, and by meetings with key stakeholders.  The Working Groups are extremely diverse groups including, but certainly not limited to, professional authorities on the issues. Working Groups produce a set of policy priorities that inform the organization of the Forum as well as the work of IEI beyond the Forum. 



• Emerging Issues Forum | The annual Institute for Emerging Issues Forum is IEI’s signature event at which leaders from around the state, the country and the world convene to discuss and debate the challenges that we face.  This is an opportunity for IEI to present to North Carolina its work thus far and to obtain feedback for further direction from the audience of 800–1000 people.



• Community Forums | Following the large annual Emerging Issues Forum, IEI hosts a series of smaller Community Forums across the state to present the issue at a more local level.  The purpose of Community Forums is threefold: 1.) to increase awareness of the issue throughout the regions of the state, 2.) to build consensus at the local level around the issue, and 3.) to inform the work of IEI on the issue going forward.



• Business Committees | IEI also convenes statewide committees comprised of business leaders representing the state’s varied regions and industries in an effort to further narrow the scope of the program of work.  Business committees produce a specific set of recommendations that reflect that sector’s sense of priority actions that will enhance the state’s competitiveness.

Through this model public policy process, IEI is uniquely positioned to add value to the many important conversations taking place across our state and our nation with regards to transforming higher education.